“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Circumcision Decision

When it comes to a Jewish boy’s circumcision status, is “don’t ask, don’t tell” a reasonable policy?

That’s the question I’ll be posing at my upcoming book event on Sunday, June 11th at 11 a.m. at the East Bay Jewish Community Center in Berkeley, where I’ll be reading from Celebrating Brit Shalom, the first-ever book written specifically for Jewish families opting out of circumcision.

As my co-author Rebecca Wald and I have discovered, today’s Jewish community includes many Jewish and interfaith families who have opted out of circumcision. In fact, a few mainstream rabbis have made the same choice—under the radar, that is. Think about it: if even rabbis are afraid to “come out” about their decision, how can other such families feel truly welcomed by Jewish institutions?

How has circumcision become today’s big “don’t ask, don’t tell” issue in the Jewish world? And how would our community benefit if our institutions sent a clear message of inclusion to non-circumcising families? Come find out!